Let's not talk about Cairo, like, ever
by MarenMary93
Summary: 2016 reboot fic. Fic takes place during that one mission they just agreed never to speak of again. What happens in Cairo, stays in Cairo... Things went wrong on one of their earlier missions together, and to this day MacGyver and Jack steer away from the topic of Cairo. Hurt!MacGyver, Hurt!Jack
1. Let's not talk about this, ever

**Hello, I guess you guys have seen the MacGyver reboot. As have I. And I have to say, I enjoyed it. But it is a completely different show.**

 **I feel like some hardcore 1980's fans are going to scold me for enjoying the reboot. And trust me, I'm a FAN of the original too. This will probably never measure up to that one, but honestly… I've seen way worse shows running for seasons upon seasons…  
But you have to view it as a different show. A completely different show. **

**My head-canon is that the MacGyver, Jack Dalton and Patricia Thornton are the sons and daughters of the original characters. (Or maybe the new Mac is the grandson of the original? I don't know… Anyway… New generation…)**

 **And every show is an opportunity to write fanfics.**

 **And I want to know about Cairo… Don't you?**

"Shhh… We need to be quiet!" Jack whispered.

Mac grunted and gave him a lethal glare, of course he knew they had to be quiet. Quiet was essential for their survival.

"You try to be quiet with a messed up leg, see how that goes…"

Jack grimaced and looked down to see three zip ties act as a tourniquet around Mac's thigh. A few inches below the plastic ties an awful wound soaked his khakis red.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to…" Jack was at a loss for words, "Are you okay?"

"I got shot with an assault rifle. No. I've been better!" Mac whispered back, he was on the verge of starting to shout his answers instead.

"You think you can make it to the Jeep on your own?" Jack asked, knowing what the answer would be. The Jeep was on the other side of an open area, about the length of a football field away. And MacGyver's leg wouldn't bear him.

Mac shook his head, but tried putting a bit weight on his injured leg just in case it was a bit better now…

Jack was positive _he_ was going to hurl when he saw the way his friend's right thigh changed direction once Mac eased weight on to the leg. Mac gasped in pain and yanked his leg off the ground. Mistake number two… The sudden movement shot pain up his leg, and his vision started to go dark. The only reason he didn't hit the floor was Jack's strong hands grabbing hold of him.

It took a few seconds before Mac trusted his voice again. "No. I can't run, my leg only buckles, and hurts like hell…"

"Yeah, I saw that… And I bet it does…" Jack spoke, still focusing on not vomiting. "You think a splint would work?"

"Not one I could make with the things we have at hand…"

"What? You're the improvisation-genius!"

"Yeah, well… I can't make a well functioning splint out of sand and happy thoughts! And that's all we've got to work with!"

"You don't see a nice DIY project in these containers we're hiding behind either?" Jack could hope, couldn't he.

"They're welded… And unless you have a car battery, jump cables and a few coins all in your back pocket we won't get anywhere with that…"

Mac bit back a yelp as a stone was flung towards him by a bullet. The stone hit him directly in his knee, and the pain ten folded.

Jack helped Mac ease down on a stack of tires, there was no doubt that friend was in great pain.

"Got any bright ideas at all?" Jack asked as he rummaged through his own brain for a trick or something that could help them.

Mack thrashed his head from side to side as he doubled over in pain.

"Find another way 'round?"

"It'll be longer, and you still can't walk… And by the looks of it, you're not up for being carried all that way either!"

MacGyver winced tried to sit a little straighter. "No, leave me. Get to the car. Radio for help…"

"Mac, you know I won't leave you here."

" 'S our only shot…" Mac answered through gritted teeth.

"I can't leave you here!"

"Jack, you've got to…" He inhaled sharply as the strap holding Jack's rifle slipped, and the weapon jolted into his leg. The little tint of color which might have been left in his face drained from it, and a second or so later Mac was busy parting with his lunch.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Jack murmured as he rubbed circles on Mac's left shoulder.

"Get help Jack" MacGyver managed as soon as he stopped retching. "Take the detour around the buildings… You can come get me when you have the Jeep…"

"Mac, I really don't think I should leave you…"

"Jack, do I have to punch you?"

"No, sorry…"

"Go…"

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Jack felt guilty for leaving Mac behind, even if it was just to get the car and bring it back over to him. The kid was hurt and helpless. If anybody came for him, he wouldn't be able to escape.

He had left his backup piece with him, but if he knew the kid well enough… Mac wouldn't shoot anyone…

Jack raced towards the Jeep. He had run safely behind the building to the east, and he only had about twenty yards left. But that was with no cover…

His heart pounded in his chest as he stopped just before the corner of the building, preparing himself for the final sprint over to the car.

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Bullets were flying everywhere. For a moment Mac was back in Kabul a few years earlier. It had been his first mission with the military, and things had kinda gone to hell. Much like this.

 _His leg hurt, just above his ankle. A faulty step had sent him crashing down a flight of stair, and he could swear his leg was broken. This had to be bone-ache…  
He could move, but it hurt like a bitch and it was extremely slow going. But the rest of his team was outside, while he was supposed to disarm a bomb they had intel on. It was supposed to be in one of the ORs. OR-3 if they were correct.  
He found the door, and entered. An old-school display flashed red digital numbers, he had three minutes before… Before KABOOM…  
He hobbled over to the weapon of mass destruction. If he couldn't disarm it, he wouldn't be able to get away before it blew. His leg made sure of that… _

A bullet hit about a foot to the right of his right shoulder. The guys on the rooftop were moving… He couldn't run, he had nowhere to hide…

 _02:43 the red numbers taunted him as he ripped off a plate which hid the wires. None of the wires had the same color… Great…  
RED, BLUE, WHITE, GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE, PURPLE…  
02:29, time was slipping away. If he cut the wrong wire, the bomb might just decide to blow up on him straight away. This was… This was a problem.  
He moved his knife back and forth between the red and the blue wire. His gut told him it was one of those… Might not be though…  
02:02, he glanced at the bomb as a whole… He had never seen one of these, it looked completely custom and 100 percent random.  
01:43, his pulse was high. His mouth was dry…  
01:40, it couldn't be red or blue…  
01:35, what was it?  
00:51, SHIT!  
00:34, the red, blue, green, purple and yellow wire seemed to loop with each other.  
00:23, white or orange?_

His heart was thundering in his chest, his leg felt like it was about to fall off. Jack was on the other side of the area, and Mac had no idea of knowing if his friend was safe.

Suddenly, a green Jeep skidded sideways into his view. Jack was behind the steering wheel. Mac relaxed a bit.

 _00:04, WHITE OR ORANGE?  
00:03, white?  
00:02, or orange?  
00:01, WHITE!  
The flashing red numbers stopped their countdown, and MacGyver breathed a sigh of relief. He had done it. The bomb wouldn't blow…  
He pushed the button on his radio.  
"Guys, the bomb is cold… But I hurt my leg, can one of you come help me?"  
No one answered.  
He repeated.  
Still no answer…  
Maybe it was the walls?  
He winced as he pulled himself to his feet. His ankle hurt bad, but he gritted his teeth and started limping towards the outside. _

Jack jumped out from the driver's side, and rushed over to him. He manhandled him up, making Mac's leg flare up like fireworks on the 4th of July.

Mac screamed, and Jack muttered an apology.

 _It was silent. No noise… No yelling, no engines running, no shooting…  
Mac felt his heartrate pick up again. He was a few feet away from the entrance, and it was silent…  
He hopped over to the door, keeping his left leg off the ground. The pain was getting worse, and irritating it by stepping on the leg was no good.  
He didn't see anyone. No sniper rifles on the edge of rooftops, no boots hiding behind army vans… No one…  
He limped out. Still as silent as in the grave.  
He hopped further out, far enough to see past the concrete walls on either side of the entrance.  
Then he saw it…_

They were three feet away from the Jeep when Jack collapsed beside him. They both hit the ground.

 _Captain Jones was laying splayed against the wall. Half of his face missing. Next to him, private Chen was collapsed forward. A big red rose soaking the back of his khaki shirt.  
Mac felt nauseous, he looked the other way, only to find the rest of his team, and a whole lot of other people dead too. Some enemies, some civilians.  
Mac pressed the button on his radio again. Hoping that someone on their side could hear him.  
"Lieutenant MacGyver speaking, my team has been shot, I'm inj…" his right leg collapsed beneath him, and pain radiated from his abdomen. He looked down, a crimson rose started forming just above his left hip. He pulled his handgun up, and aimed for whoever could have shot him.  
He found his target and squeezed the trigger.  
His gun jammed. _

Mac writhed in pain, his leg was on fire. His ears went deaf with the pain, and for a couple of seconds he was sure he was dying. That they were as good as dead.

Then his ears started ringing, and the sound of shooting came back. And another sound… Cussing.

Mac tilted his head to the right. He saw Jack's face, red with pain, twisted in agony. The man cussed a few more times before he pushed off the ground, cautious of his left leg. Then he yanked Mac upright and almost threw him into the backseat.

Jack got into the driver's seat of the running Jeep and took off like a bat out of hell.

"You okay?" Mac managed to bite out through gritted teeth, about ready to pass out from pain.

"Yeah… I'm good…" Jack spoke from the front seat. His voice wasn't as convincing as his words.

"What happened back there?"

There was an awkward pause, as Jack debated how to describe what had gone down.

Then…

"Well… To quote Forrest Gump, 'Something jumped up and bit me…'" Jack confessed with a grimace on his face.

"You got shot in the butt?" Mac asked, and realized how oddly Jack had positioned himself in the driver's seat.

Jack nodded and took a deep breath, "Yeah, bet my left butt cheek will have a fantastic scar from now on…"

"Well, that sucks…"

Jack nodded. "How are you doing back there?"

"Fine, but I would like to see a doctor when the opportunity arrives…"

"Me too kid…" Jack winced and moved his hand to feel for the wound on his precious hide. He growled and cussed when his hand came back red.

"You good?"

Jack nodded. "I don't think it was a straight hit… It doesn't feel that deep…"

Mac winced as the Jeep hit a pothole, "Good…"

"Must've ricocheted off of a container…"

"That could happen…" Mac agreed, concentrating on keeping his right leg still.

"Hey Mac…"

"Mhmm?"

"Let's never talk about this again, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Like, ever…"

"Okay…"

 _"_ _Sending backup now!" someone declared into his ear, as Mac made the snap decision to throw the gun towards the guy who had shot him.  
Then he rolled into cover as the gun hit the wall beside the shooter.  
Mac grabbed the gun off of one of his deceased teammates. Pulled the trigger and the shooter sagged down, dead.  
Mac felt ill. Not just his injuries…  
"MacGyver? You still there?"  
Mac pushed the button, "Yeah… Still here…"  
"Backup is on their way."  
"I heard you…"  
Hopefully he would never have to shoot and kill another human… Again…_

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"Patricia's got a chopper waiting for us where they dropped us off Tuesday. You think you're up for that?"

"Yeah, sure…" Mac bit his lower lip as his right leg burned. "As long as there's a first aid kit with my name on it… I guess I'm good…"

Jack looked in the slightly deformed rearview mirror, locking eyes with Mac.

"Dude, I bet there's a hospital bed with your name on it after this…"

"Sure hope there isn't. Haven't got time for that..."

"Not much choice, sorry…"

"What will I tell Wilt?"

Jack shrugged. "Tell him you got hit by a car or something…"

"I've already been hit by cars five times, as far as Wilt thinks he knows…" Mac bit back, "If I don't have to stay at the hospital, I can say I fell off a skateboard or something… But if they decide I have to stay for multiple surgeries or something, I don't know…"

"Well, what is your cover to be away this time?"

"Business trip to Italy, Thornton figured that would make up for whatever tan I would get…"

"Italy?"

"Yeah…"

The car hit a pothole and both the men sounded their discomfort.

"Let's say you were invited to a ski lodge, spent a day snowboarding down perfect slopes, until you lost control and messed up your leg…"

"That could work…" Mac agreed, "But I think I'll go with downhill skiing instead. He knows I'm good at snowboarding, been doing that since I was four or so…"

"Yeah…"

"Or, it could be a hikingtrip gone wrong… A long hike near Rome, then I stepped down on a rock which would slide…"

"You…? Being taken down by stepping wrong…?"

"Okay, skiing in Bergamo…" Mac decided. "It doesn't sound too farfetched…"

 **Okay, so… I'm gonna stop this chapter here. There MIGHT be more, and once the category for MacGyver 2.0 (or something like that) is up, I'll upload it to that category too. Until then, I will use this existing category…  
Sorry if I annoy any of you by intruding with a 2016 reboot fic… **

**Hope you had a pleasant ride during this chapter. *winks***


	2. Calls and crutches

**Hello! And thank you for the great comments!**

 **So glad there's more people out there enjoying the new show!**

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"What do you mean you're at a hospital?" Wilt almost yelled into the phone. "In ITALY!?"

"We went skiing yesterday. A goodwill gesture from our sister-company…" Mac hissed in a low tone before he continued. His leg felt like it was on fire. "At the end of the day, I decided to do one last trip down the mountain. You know how the story goes…"

"What happened?"

"I was tired, shouldn't have decided on that last ride. I was making a left turn, and my right leg just caved in…" Mac took a deep breath, swallowing down the pain. "When I finally stopped sliding, my kneecap was on the wrong side of my knee and I had about two extra joints in my leg."

"Oh, snap!"

Mac almost chuckled. "Well, I guess that was the exact sound my leg made…"

"Aw, man! It sounds horrible!"

"It's not pleasant." Mac looked down at his leg, metal rods linked between bolts drilled into the pieces of his femur. The part of the bone which had been too damaged to repair had been replaced by a 3D printed bio graft, curtesy DXS. "But I'll be fine… But I'll need a few surgeries before that. I've got two left before I can travel back to LA…"

"So, when are you coming home?"

"Sometime next week at best…"

"Okay…" Wilt sighed into the phone. "Hey man, I hope you're alright. That your leg doesn't hurt too much…"

"It doesn't." Mac lied, the good people at the hospital had pumped him up with painkillers, but his leg still hurt like a bitch.

"Aaaand I know you're lying…"

"What? No! I don't!"

"Mac, I've known you for almost 20 years… I mean, we learned how to eat spaghetti together…" Wilt rolled his eyes, "I know when you're lying, and I know when you're in pain… And you're doing both right now…"

Mac couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. If Wilt only knew all his secrets…

"Alright, you win… It does hurt…"

"Just wait 'til you get back here, I'm gonna go all mother hen on you!"

"Mother hen?" Mac chuckled.

"Well, you know…" Wilt shrugged, "I'm gonna make sure my Bro is alright!"

"Okay, but you know… I won't be helpless… I can take care of myself…"

"Whatever man, what do you want to eat when you come home?"

"Huh?"

"You know like parents make you chicken soup or something when you're sick?" Wilt waited a short second before he asked again, "What do you want to eat when you get back home?"

"Look, I really don't want to think about food right now… Okay?"

"Okay…" Wilt cleared his throat, "Just, get better. Please…"

"I will…" Mac yawned into the phone, "But hey, it's late here… And I'm tired, so could I call you another day?"

"Sure, you just concentrate on healing!"

"Yeah, I will… Okay, bye!"

"Bye!"

Mac hung up the phone, and placed it on his nightstand. Well, at least Wilt knew he was hurt now… Mac couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to one of his oldest friends like that, but it was in the job description…

He grimaced as a wave of pain rolled through his leg. This was not going to be any fun the foreseeable future.

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There was soft tapping on the door, like when someone wanted to know if they could enter or if the person on the other side was asleep.

"Yeah? Come in…"

Jack entered the room, carefully balancing on a pair of crutches. His tongue was sticking out between his lips as he concentrated on keeping his balance.

"You look utterly helpless!" Mac stated with a grin, "You're trying to make me feel better or something?"

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, and glared up at Mac. "I've never had to use crutches before, okay?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

Jack shook his head and hobbled another few unsteady steps. "No, I'm serious… I've broken a couple of bones through the years, but that has been arms or ribs…"

"Never twisted an ankle bad enough either?"

Jack shook his head.

"Well, you should have someone teach you to use those before you hurt yourself even worse…" Mac commented with a concerned voice.

"You know, I'd flip you off… But I'm generally afraid that I would fall flat on my face if I tried…" Jack answered unamused.

"How long do you have to use those?"

"Just until it doesn't hurt as bad. A month, tops."

Mac nodded, feeling a pang of envy. But then he looked at Jack trying to juggle his crutches, and his level of envy sank a couple of degrees again. At least he knew how to use crutches, you know… When he was allowed to use crutches at all…

"How's the leg?" Mac looked up to find concerned brown eyes looking back at him.

"I'm hoping that it will stop hurting as much soon…" Mac revealed, "How's the… ehmm…"

"Sore." Jack answered shortly, not wanting to elaborate the subject.

"I bet."

"Yeah…" Jack frowned, "I sure hope I won't have to SIT on the plane back to California."

"Wait, are you leaving now?"

Jack shook his head, "No, I'm waiting for you. But I still don't hope I have to sit during the flight…"

Mac smiled, "Yeah, let's hope for some beds or something…"

Jack nodded. "Speaking of bed… I'm both tired and exhausted, I should find my own bed…"

"That sounds like a great idea, sleep well!"

"You too, buddy!"

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 **Well, I hope I made you laugh, or at least smile a bit. I thought I had to lighten the mood a bit. Just a bit though…**

 **And I feel like Jack would be one of those guys who's constantly injured, but by some unholy reason have avoided something as common as using crutches. Sorry, I had the image in my mind… I had to show it to you…**

 **And Wilt thinking he knows everything there is to know about Mac… (Yeah… No honey, you don't… Sorry…)**

 **Okay I hope you liked this basically pointless chapter too.**


	3. Home

**Hey! Once again, thanks for the comments. Glad you liked this story so far, and happy that so many of you like the new show.**

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 ***Two weeks later***

MacGyver eased into the wheelchair waiting for him at the airport. It was a nice gesture, making sure he didn't have to struggle through the airport on crutches and with a cast stretching the length of his right leg.

There was a wheelchair waiting for Jack too, but he declined the offer with a smile. "Look, I can barely sit down. It's much less painful to walk… Thanks, but no thanks…"

Once the clerk rolled away the second wheelchair, Jack turned to MacGyver. "So… Ready to get back home?"

Mac nodded and adjusted his position in the chair. It took him forever to find a comfortable position.

"Yeah, it'll be nice not to breathe in the smell of antiseptics all day."

Jack smirked, "Yeah, not to speak about the smell of sick and old people…."

Mac rolled his eyes, making him look just as young as he in fact was.

"You know, you're heading towards being one of those old people yourself…"

Jack limped closer and shoved his knuckles into Mac's shoulder. "I'm not _that_ old…"

"Not yet…" Mac teased back.

"Well, with our job getting old isn't a right. It's not even expected…" Jack straightened up a bit, "You should respect me…"

"Of course…" Mac smirked back. "I always respect my elders…"

"Whatever, I'm gonna kick your ass in the tracks for a long time after this…"

Mac moaned, the tracks… Getting back into shape after this injury would be a pain in the ass. Not the same kind of pain in the ass as made Jack walk with a limp at the moment, but still… A pain in the ass…

"Yeah… I get that…"

"You'll probably use more time to get through the tracks than old Tony Feida back when he was a field operative. And I mean the last couple of years he was that… Not when he was young and fresh…"

Mac frowned as he thought about Tony. The man was overweight and close to retiring, and hadn't been out in the field for almost a decade. But his times were still in the books, and they were not good…

"Okay, let's get out of here. Wilt's probably waiting for you with a brand new batch of cookies…" Jack switched the subject. "I really hope it's cookies. Those cookies are so good!"

Mac huffed a laugh. Jack was the description of being obsessed with food, and if you let him, he would probably eat 24-7.

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"Whoa… That looks worse than I expected!" Wilt gasped as Mac was rolled towards the waiting crowd. It was Wilt, Penny, Patricia and a few other friends Wilt had asked to come greet Mac on his return.

A smile tugged at Mac's lips. Then he shook his head, "It's not that bad… Looks a whole lot worse in this chair…"

"Well, I bet you won't be snowboarding again soon…" Penny said crossing her arms over her chest. "I used to tell you that was dangerous…"

"Penny," Mac grinned, "I know, you've said that about a thousand times. And I wasn't snowboarding… I was skiing."

"Which is just as dangerous, Maccie…"

Wilt was on the verge of laughing at Penny's nickname for MacGyver. One of the remnants of their relationship a few years back.

Mac couldn't do anything but nodding along.

"And you?" Wilt glanced over at Jack, "What happened to you? Were you just limping?"

Jack blushed involuntarily, and nodded.

"Yeah, I did something to my hip on a hike…" then he cleared his throat, "Just a sprain or something… Nothing to worry 'bout…"

"Okay…"

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An hour or so later, they were all in the apartment Mac and Wilt shared. And just as Jack hoped for, Wilt had made cookies… And a lot of other comfort foods. Which Jack, of course, was eating with glee.

Mac had hobbled over to the couch as soon as they entered the house, and had positioned himself with his back against the armrest, and his right leg elevated on top of no less than five pillows. And as far as he could avoid it, he wouldn't budge from that spot before it was time to go to bed.

"Cupcake?" Wilt offered, holding the tray in front of Mac.

"Thanks…" Mac smiled and grabbed a cupcake. His leg no longer hurt enough to make him nauseous all the time, just sometimes…

"Want anything to drink too?"

Mac shrugged, "What have we got? Because I think there were only milk in the fridge when I left, and I don't think I want that one…"

"We've got Coke, Fanta, Sprite, coffee, water… And milk." Wilt listed up, "You should probably drink some milk, good for the bones you know…"

Mac smiled. "Think I'll have some coffee… And a glass of water, please."

"Coming straight up!" Wilt nodded and gave Mac's shoulder a slight shove.

Mac fought the urge to wince, the small push to his shoulder made him rock a bit sideways, which again hurt. But he powered through it.

A few minutes later, Jack came over. His plate was full of all kinds of edible delights, and he was grinning.

"I see you found your source of sugar and fat…" Mac nodded towards the plate Jack was carrying.

"Yeah!" Jack answered before he took a big bite out of a cookie, and grunted with the pleasure it brought him. Then he looked at the free spot next to Mac' injured leg. "Mind if I sit down?"

Mac looked to the free spot, it looked big enough for Jack to fit. "If you stop making that noise… And…"

"Be careful. I get it…" Jack finished, and sat the plate down on the table. Then he grabbed a hold of the armrest and the back of the couch and lowered himself slowly onto the couch. Careful not to jostle Mac' leg.

Then he leaned forward and grabbed his plate once again. "Can't promise anything about making noises though…"

Mac sighed and grabbed his own cupcake, taking a good sized bite of it, just as Wilt returned with coffee and water.

"Have you baked these?" Mac asked Wilt with wide eyes.

"Don't tell anyone…" Wilt ordered, "Yes, I made them… You know I bake when I'm stressed."

Mac smiled and took another bite. "They taste great!"

"Thanks!"

"Seriously man, you should be stressed more often!" Jack shot in right before stuffing his face with a cupcake.

The three of them all laughed. Then they fell silent for a little while.

A few minutes later, Mac decided to break the silence. "Hey, thanks for all of this… You didn't have to, but thanks…"

"No problem homie!" Wilt smirked, then leaned in close. "But if you tell anyone that I bake, I'll hurt you even worse, okay?"

"Okay…" Mac answered with a chuckle.

"Hey, everyone knows already, okay?" Jack shot in.  
"And I'm having a birthday party in a few weeks… Do you mind fixing up a batch of these?" he asked waving one of the cookies in front of him.

"What are you talking about? I thought your birthday was a month ago…?" Mac looked over at Jack.

"Well, Wilt didn't know that before now…" Jack sighed. "But seriously Wilt, can you make a batch of these for me?"

Wilt chuckled and nodded.

"Dude, you're gonna get fat…" Mac tilted his head towards Jack, then nodded to the now empty plate.

"It's a wonder you're not fat yet…" Jack answered as he prepared himself to get up and grab a second helping of cakes and sweets. "You live with someone who bakes better than most bakeries…"

Wilt just shook his head.

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 **Okay, as you might have noticed already; this story takes place during the beginning of when Mac and Jack started working together for DXS. And Nikki hasn't come around yet (in my nice little world.)**

 **Jack and Mac has already become close friends, because it's what life or death situations do to you… You either become besties or you start hating each other. And we all know which way it went for Mac and Jack.**

 **Okay, hope you liked this little chapter. I know it might be a little slow going, and a little silly. I just hope I didn't let anybody down.**

 **And thanks for the comments so far!**


	4. Movie time

**Hello, WOW! I'm amazed by all these comments! Really, because the MacGyver fandom haven't been all that active before… (As an opposite to the fandoms I usually write for.) It's fun to see a reboot do this to a fandom community.**

 **Okay, so… Another chapter… Right…  
Now, what can I make of it?**

Mac stared at the refrigerator. It was ten yards from the couch to the fridge, but it seemed to demand an insufferable amount of willpower to even try to hobble over to it. At least when his leg felt like it did.

But…

His stomach growled again, and Mac winced. He had been skipping meals lately. Mostly because pain plus food, in his case equaled nausea. But right now his hunger started to equal pain…

Mac sat up a little straighter, going over the pro's and con's of eating.

His stomach made noises again. It was probably loud enough for some random whale, miles out in the ocean, to hear.

"Okay… That's it…" he muttered as he maneuvered his cast clad leg down from the stack of pillows. His leg was throbbing, and he probably should take another Vicodin or something too…

He reached out for his crutches and pushed off the sofa, ready to get some grub. He almost changed his mind when his leg started aching even more.

Moving around with the crutches was a painfully slow process. It wasn't that he was inexperienced with crutches, it was more the fact that his leg was more messed up than he had ever managed to get it before.

The word amputation had come up a couple of times before his surgery.  
 _Once we open you up, we will know more. From there on, we will know if your leg is salvageable or if amputation is the only option.  
These days there are a lot of good options in prosthetics. Amputation doesn't equal a bad life…  
We just want to prepare you, we can't guarantee that you'll keep your leg…  
Your leg have been through severe trauma, you might want to prepare yourself that you might lose it...  
_It had been said in about a dozen more ways too. The words still echoed in Mac's mind.

He had to take a break when he reached the table halfway between the couch and the fridge. His leg was no longer throbbing… It was pounding.  
And he was…  
…getting short of breath?

Mac leaned against the kitchen table, waiting to catch his breath once again.  
 _I'm getting out of shape...  
Jack is right, he is going to kick my ass in the tracks. Possibly forever…_

Once the worst part of his fatigue passed, Mac arranged himself on his crutches again. The last couple of yards to the fridge went a lot smoother than the first stretch in his search for food.

He leaned one of the crutches against the counter, and opened the door to the fridge with his free hand. On the top shelf a Tupperware box with a Post-It on greeted him.

 _Hi Mac!  
I made you lunch, just heat this  
for 2 min, on medium or high in the  
microwave. There's also dinner for  
later on the shelf below. Same deal…  
-Bozer_

Mac smiled, and grabbed the box. Opened the lid and saw that it was Bozer's chili dish.

"Nice!" Mac smiled as he put the box in the microwave and set the timer. Then he hobbled over to the bread box and cut himself two slices of bread. Then he placed the two slices on the kitchen table along with a spoon.

The microwave beeped and told him that the contents inside should be warm and ready to eat. He let one of his crutches rest against the table, and hopped over to get his lunch. It was not comfortable to move, but it was manageable. That was really all he could ask of…

Once he reached the table again, he put the box down and pulled out two chairs. One for him and one for his leg. He sat down and guided the cast up with the help of his hands. When he was settled, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. All this demanded a lot of him, physically.

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The chili was worth it. It tasted absolutely fantastic, just as everything else Bozer made.

All of the sudden, MacGyver's phone buzzed, so he fished it out of his pocket.  
It was Jack.

Mac slid his finger across the screen to answer.

"Hello?"

"Mac! How're you doing?"

"Fine… I'm eating right now…" Mac raised his eyebrows when he heard something sounding like a sigh of relief.

"Good. Look, I've got some coffee, and nothing to do… Are you home?"

"Yeah… Where else would I be?"

"Uh… Not sure…" Jack answered slowly. "Want company? I've got a couple of movies with me too… Or we could go out? You've been stuck at your place for over a week now, right?"

"I'm not up for going out just yet… But I'd really like some company. Think I've come up with a plan for how I'd like to remodel the whole apartment by now."

"You're not the best at just relaxing, are you?"

Mac laughed. "Nope, never been, never will be..."

"Okay, I'll be there in ten…"

"'Kay…" Mac stretched his back, "See you soon then…"

"Yeah…"

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A little more than ten minutes later, Mac had rinsed and put the used Tupperware into the dishwasher. And struggled over to the couch again. He had just managed to find a semi-comfortable position when someone started knocking on the door.

"Come in!" he yelled from where he was seated. He really didn't want to move more than necessary.

He heard someone open the door, and Jack peeked his head in.

"Hey, just me!" he flashed a smile and waited.

"Well, come in…" Mac waved Jack closer. "And for future reference… Just walk straight in…"

Jack shrugged, "Okay… If you say so…"

He walked over to the coffee table and set down the coffee and a stack of DVD's.

"Figured that you had to be bored, so I…" Jack motioned towards the DVD's. "I didn't know what movies you like, so I brought a few. Tried to stay away from noisy movies…"

"Noisy movies?" Mac asked, "Are you referring to war movies?"

Jack almost blushed and nodded.

"I just thought…" he paused and looked towards Mac's immobilized leg. "Didn't know how you'd feel about that kind of thing…"

"Thanks for the concern…" Mac pulled himself a little straighter, before he looked back up at his colleague. "But I don't have any problems with that. Bozer and I watched Heartbreak Ridge and Saving Private Ryan yesterday."

"No nightmares?"

"None…" Mac smiled back.

"Okay, good… I guess…"Jack looked down at the floor. "Go ahead, pick a movie!"

Mac sifted through the stack of movies, and picked out two.

Animal House  
Footloose

"Now you pick…" Mac crossed his arms over his chest.

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Twenty minutes later they were watching Animal House together, and stuffing their faces with popcorn.

Mac sat in his usual position, back against armrest, leg up. Jack sat in the middle seat of the couch, two pillows in his lap and Mac's leg on top of his those.

(And that was the way Bozer found them both a few hours later. He snapped a picture, just in case he ever needed to blackmail either of them.)

 **Haha, okay. In my defense… I NEVER know what is going to happen when I sit down at my keyboard. Today this happened…**

 **Hope I made you laugh or smile.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this silly chapter…**


	5. First day back, pt1

**Hello! I'm back again with more. Hope you enjoy it!**

 **And as for that blackmail photo, let me paint you a picture with my words.  
Imagine, Jack sitting with his feet on the table and his head lolled back. His mouth is wide open, and he snores softly. On his lap lays two 25x25 inch pillows, supporting Mac's cast covered leg. Mac is hugging the back of the couch in his sleep, and he's drooling on the shoulder of his own t-shirt. His hair is a mess and some hang down in front of his face. He has got his good leg tucked close, his foot wedged under Jack's thigh.  
Jack's left arm was hung over the back of the couch, his right rested on top of Mac's cast. **

**So, did you enjoy the description of the photo?  
I know I would really like to see it, if I only had the skills to draw or paint well enough to make it.  
(Just in case anyone feels inspired and actually makes that art, please send me a link to it. I really want to see it! Please!)**

Jack looked in the rearview mirror as he changed lanes, heading towards DXS.

Mac sat in the backseat with his leg splayed between the two front seats.

"Ready to get back to work?"

"I was starting to get a bit of cabin fever…" Mac admitted, running a hand over his cast. He had cut off the right leg of his jeans, because the pants wouldn't fit over his cast.

"I bet!"

"The bummer is that all I can do for the foreseeable future is paperwork…" Mac sighed, tapping his fingers on his cast.

"That sucks man…" Jack spoke over his shoulder.

In the backseat Mac nodded.

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"Here, let me help you…" Jack hurried out of the car as soon as it was in park. He jogged around to the back and opened the trunk, finding the crutches he had placed there for the ride. Then he hurried back to the door Mac had used to enter the car 20 minutes ago.

He opened the door and waited. Mac started to struggle free from his position, but after about a minute of coming nowhere he looked up at Jack.

"Need a hand?"

Mac looked back down at his casted leg, he didn't want to come across as helpless as he damn well felt. But… It didn't seem like he was able to get out of the car on his own. Not right now anyway…

"Yeah…" Mac spoke, barely above a whisper.

Jack positioned the crutches against the car, and leaned in to grab a hold of Mac. He placed one hand under each of Mac's arms and slowly pulled Mac closer to him.

"Doing alright?"

Mac nodded. "Fine…"

"Okay, ready to put your good leg under you?"

Mac nodded again, bracing himself as he expected the pain to appear soon.

"One, two… Three…" Jack counted as he hoisted Mac out of the car. Mac drew a breath through gritted teeth.

Once he found his balance, he thanked Jack and took the crutches the older man held out to him.

"You sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah… I'm sure…"

"Good, just drop a hint if you change your mind.

"Thanks…"

"No problem dude…"

 **Okay, so not the longest chapter ever… I know…**

 **Hope you enjoyed it though… Have a nice day/evening/night/morning…**


	6. First day back, pt2

**Hello! I'm Baaack!**

Mac struggled to find a comfortable position in his office chair. The giant cast on his leg didn't make the task any easier.

He stared at the computer screen, bored with his current task.

He checked his watch.

 _Yeah, just what he thought… 5 minutes since he checked last…_

His leg hurt, stabbing sharp pain throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He gritted his teeth and his hand went into the pocket of his leather jacket searching for his medicine. His hand came out with an orange cylinder, he shook out one pill and put it in his mouth. Then he placed the pill bottle back in his pocket. He took a sip of his water bottle and swallowed the pill.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He looked down at the cast with a certain amount of hate.

 _Better stop hurting soon…_ he thought, tapping his fingers on the cast right above the spot where he knew the entry wound was.

Mac didn't even notice the footsteps closing in on him.

He let out a low moan as he tried to regain his composure. It wouldn't hurt any less no matter how much he complained about it.

"Leg bothering ya?"

Mac jumped in his seat, and immediately reached for his injured leg. He hissed and grimaced.

"Whoa! Dude, I'm so sorry!" Jack placed a hand on Mac's shoulder as he crouched down beside him. "Are you okay?"

Mac inhaled sharply and pressed the air out between his lips until he regained control. Once he managed to sit back up again, Mac slammed his fist down on the tabletop.

"I'll take that as a yes…" Jack said in a worried tone.

Mac stared straight ahead, not trusting his own voice quite yet.

"Mac?" Jack shook Mac's shoulder lightly. "Are you okay?"

Mac nodded, still not ready to speak.

"Your leg bothering ya?"

Mac didn't move for almost ten seconds.

"Yeah…" Mac's voice was shaky and seemed fragile.

"Look, I'm sorry man…" Jack apologized, "I didn't know you'd be startled…"

"Don't worry 'bout it…" Mac offered a tight smile.

Jack's eyes were locked on Mac, concern was evident in his eyes.

"Have you taken any meds since this morning?" Jack asked.

"Just took my second dose…"

"Okay, good…"

"Hasn't kicked in yet…"

"Oh…" Jack looked over at Mac's cast rested on a spare chair. Even though he hadn't known Mac for a long time, he knew that he didn't like seeing his young colleague in pain. _Be honest, there are some colleagues you'd like to see suffer…_

"Anything I can do?"

Mac shook his head.

"Sure you don't want to go home?"

"Yeah… I'm sure…"

"You know, Thornton doesn't expect you to be back already…"

Mac nodded and sighed, "I know…"

"You don't have anything to prove, okay? Because I think you've proved yourself time and time again already…"

Mac nodded, his eyes locked on his cast.

"I'm not trying to prove anything…" he paused, scratching the knee area of his cast. "I'm just… I just don't think I can be stuck at home anymore."

"Okay, but how about you take an hour in the break room, just relax on the couch…"

Mac shook his head.

"Man, you really should… You look like crap!"

"No, I'm fine…"

"No one is fine this shortly after that kind of injury!"

"I'm good…"

"Oh crap… You're even more stubborn than me, aren't you?" Jack groaned, running a hand down his own face.

Mac couldn't help but letting out a lighthearted chuckle.

"Okay, I'll take a break…" Mac agreed. "Just want to wait until the Vicodin starts working before I move…"

"Okay bud…"

 **Okay, so… I felt the need to end that chapter there… It felt like it was going on and on and on and ON…**

 **Hope you've enjoyed the ride so far.  
Any wishes for later chapters?  
More pain/less pain?  
Domestic Mac?  
Mac being dragged to a club by Bozer?  
Mac in a wheelchair, because that is easier for him?  
Anything?**

 **Wow, as I marked the text for this chapter I realized it was only like 600 words or something… It felt more like 6k…  
Sometimes writing is hard…  
Sorry…**


	7. First day back, pt3

**Hello, just me again…**

Okay, so his leg wasn't getting any better… And all he really wanted to do was to sleep.

He was resting on the couch in the break room, his leg was laid up on the armrest. His skin was itchy under the cast, especially near the wounds.

He stared lazily at his bare toes. The woolen sock he had put over the cast was now resting on top of his crutches.

He tried wiggling his toes, it was possible. He smiled. The fact that the nerves in his leg worked well enough to send the signal down to his toes, even though it hurt, was calming to him. It gave him a hope that with physical therapy, a lot of pain and even more willpower, he would get back to being almost as good as he had been.

He had slumbered on the couch for nearly an hour. The Vicodin he had taken a little over an hour was still doing some sorts of miracles. His leg still hurt, but the hammering pain with each heartbeat had passed.

He moved his toes. It was a good feeling, if you didn't mind the pain. The pain was bearable, he could stand it…

He dozed off again.

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"How's the leg?"

Mac blinked wildly as he woke up. Patricia Thornton was standing at the other side of the coffee table, a kind expression on her face.

Mac lifted his head a little, before he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Oh, it's all good…" he gave her a polite smile, "Coming along nicely…"

Patty nodded and sat down in the chair nearby.

"You do know you're entitled to sick-leave…? Right?" Concern was in her eyes. "It's not healthy to rush back to work as fast as you have…"

Mac looked at her with disbelief, then he tried to scoot himself to a more sitting position. He froze as his leg served up a fresh plate of agony. His breath caught in his chest and the pain manifested in his face as well.

"Coming along nicely, I see…" Patty sighed.

"Okay, it's not all there…" Mac bit out through gritted teeth, easing himself back down. "But it gets better every day…"

Thornton nodded. "You really should be at home, resting…"

"I'm resting…"

Patricia sat forward, leaning on to her elbow.

"Only because Jack almost forced you to… If I'm not mistaken…" Patricia flattened her skirt over her thighs, "Mac… I know this might not be the thing you want to hear, but I've decided that you should stay at home for a while more… At least until the doctor deems that you're ready for physical therapy…"

"But…"

"You can't talk yourself out of this one… And if you show up here, I'll have one of the others drive you home… Understood?"

Mac gaped at her, not at all sold on her idea.

"What am I supposed to do back home?"

"Nothing…"

"Do nothing?" Mac blinked at his boss, "You know me, right?

"I know you have a problem with being inactive… We've known that all along, but this could lead to serious problems later on… And we all just want what's best for you…"

"I'm going to go stir crazy! I've read through every book we have at home, twice… I've watched all the movies we have laying around… Bozer will probably strangle me if I try to learn a new instrument… I've got nothing to keep me occupied back home!"

"I've thought about that…" Patty revealed with a smug smile, "I figured since you and Jack are a team, and since his main mission is to keep you safe… Or in this case, keep you occupied…"

"I don't need a babysitter…" Mac folded his arms over his chest.

"No, but you've only worked together for a few months, and it could be nice for you to get to know each other better…

"Pat… I really don't need someone to look after me…"

"Humor me… It's only until the doctor says you're ready for PT…"

Mac didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, he just sat there and stared at his cast covered leg.

"Okay, you're probably right…"

Patricia nodded and stood up.

"He's ready to take you home whenever you want…" She adjusted her watch on her wrist, "We all hope that you'll get well soon…"

"Well, I hope so too…" Mac agreed, glancing up at his boss. "Because this whole situation sucks…"

Patricia grinned, "Yeah, well… It isn't a desired situation…"

Mac nodded as he leaned over to fish up the woolen sock he usually wore over the cast, at least when he was out of the house. He let out a grunt as something in his leg tinged, but he didn't stop his task. Then he stretched as far down as he could, and pulled the sock over the cast.

Once he had moved his legs off the couch and he had arranged himself on his crutches, he looked over at his leather jacket hanging on the other chair.

"Could you…"

"Of course…" Patty said and grabbed the jacket. "You want it on you, or?"

Mac shook his head. "No, just need you to carry it for me… Forgot my backpack at my workstation…"

She nodded and followed Mac in the direction of the room with the cubicles. She handed the jacket over to Jack when they met him in the hallway.

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Mac was secretly kinda happy when Jack drove him home 20 minutes later.

 **So… Hope you enjoyed that…**

 **Kinda good news for you… (I hope you take it as good news…) In less than 2 weeks, I'll have a period where I will stay at home for a long while…  
Which I fear will leave me in a state where hobbies are a must… Because I handle resting as well as Mac does in my fics… And I need something to keep me occupied.  
It'll probably result in a flood of fanfiction…**


	8. PT

**Okay… So, I started writing a chapter… It came out good enough, but not great… Decided to let that one sit and simmer in a document of its own… Maybe I'll use it later, maybe not…**

 **So… Well…  
I started another chapter… Hope you enjoy!**

"Which floor?" the woman in the elevator asked.

"Fifth…" Mac answered hobbling inside the cart.

"Same as me then!" she smiled, looking down at her feet.

"So… How long are you stuck on those for?" The brunette nodded to the crutches.

"Three to six…" Mac shrugged, "Maybe more…"

"Weeks?"

Mac shook his head, "Months…"

The woman grimaced, "Doesn't sound like any fun…"

"Nah… It's not…"

"So… How did it happen?"

Mac looked up at the girl. She was about his age, give or take a few…

"Huh?"

"How did you get injured?" the brunette asked again, "If you don't mind me asking…"

"Oh… Of course not…" Mac adjusted his weight on the crutches, "Skiing accident, Italy…"

Mac looked at the girl, his eyes traveling up and down her person.

"How 'bout you?" he then asked, "What's your reason for going to PT?"

The brunette smiled, a tad shyly, "I am one of the PTs…"

Mac blushed, focusing on his own two feet. "Guess that's as good a reason as any…"

The girl nodded. "This your first appointment?"

Mac nodded. "Obvious?"

"No… Just haven't seen you around…"

Mac nodded as the elevator reached their floor.

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"Hop up on the table…"

Mac raised his eyebrows at the young PT, but started to do as he was told.

Once Mac was up there, sitting with his legs out in front of him, the PT whose name was Sarah picked up a stack of papers.

"So… Angus MacGyver…" she paused, "I have to say that the paperwork I got on you was a little lacking. Maybe you could answer some of it for me? That way I don't have to call up a hospital in Italy…"

Mac nodded. "Sure…"

"It says you broke your femur, thigh bone… What kind of fracture was it?"

"You could say it was either shattered or crushed…"

Sarah looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. "Shattered?"

"Yeah, they cleaned out all the fragments and set in some kind of bio-graft thingy…"

"Some kind of bio-graft thingy…" She eyed him, "Sounds… Professional…"

"They had another word for it… I didn't take the time to learn the correct word for it…"

"Well, anyway… That's a complicated surgery."

"Doc said I couldn't expect to make a full recovery…"

The PT gave a non-committing gesture, "What did you think about that?"

"Well… I told him to watch me…"

"That's what I like to hear from my patients." Sarah smiled, starting to adjust he Redcord sling hanging from the ceiling.

"Okay, next question… Your knee… Medial and Lateral meniscus?"

Mac nodded.

"Complete tear of the MCL"

He nodded again.

"And ACL and PCL…"

"Yeah, all that was pretty non-existent in my knee for a couple of hours there…"

The PT nodded. "Well, I can already tell you that this is not going to be a pleasant journey for you… And the last thing I want is for you to rush this…"

Mac looked at her, not quite catching on to what she was telling him.

"So…?"

"You've got to pace yourself, let that leg of yours heal…" she locked the Redcord cord with the sling hanging a few inches off the table. "It's going to take time, it's going to be boring and it will hurt like hell all the way…"

"Figured that much…"

"That means, you're not allowed to do exercises I don't clear you for… Are we understood?"

Mac was lost in her brown eyes for a second before he managed to pull himself free and nod.

"Yes ma'am!"

The young PT blushed, and looked away. When she looked back, she swept the tip of her tongue across her lower lip.

"Okay, now… I'm going to hang your leg up in this sling, and we're going to go through a few exercises…"

Mac nodded.

She placed one hand under Mac's cast. "Okay, so… Lifting your leg now…"

Mac nodded and bit down on his own teeth.

"Did that hurt?"

"Manageable…"

She looked at him, a bit concerned.

"Manageable is the baseline…"

"Okay, then… We'll work with manageable…"

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With his cast, there were very few things he could actually do… But Sarah walked him through a couple of things he was supposed to do. And it was a lot more difficult than he would have expected before he got shot.

Wiggling his toes felt like pure torture. And swinging the cast-clad leg side to side in the red sling, he had to stop after five times side to side. Even though he had been supposed to do ten repetitions…

"Okay, so… You're sweating bullets…" Sarah commented. "I say you're done for now, no need in pushing you any further today."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, and you seem like one of those guys who won't admit to the pain you're in easily…"

"So…?"

"So I believe that I could have asked you to do leg-raises and you would have forced yourself through it until you either puked or passed out…" Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. "So, no more exercise for you today…"

Mac smiled and sat up on the bench. His hand coming down on top of his cast. A reflex, a subconscious move to guard the wound already covered by his cast.

"Any home exercises?"

"I'll let you sit and wiggle your toes…" Sarah offered, "But that's only if you're up to it… If it hurts too much, it's better for you to stop. Okay?"

Mac nodded.

"Okay, then…" Sarah smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mac nodded again, guiding his leg towards the floor.

"I'll see you tomorrow…" Mac answered with a smile.

 **Okay, so… Sorry this story hasn't been updated in like forever… Sorry…**


	9. Barbecue

**Long time no see… Well… For this story… At least…**

"How's my buddy doing?" Bozer asked as he entered the apartment.

When no answer came from his friend, Bozer went on a mission to find Mac. He found him outside, sitting on one of the homemade garden chairs with his leg propped up on an upside-down bucket.

"There you are!" Bozer smiled, "How're you doing?"

Mac looked up, then down at his cast.

"Holding on…" Mac sighed, running a hand over his cast. The fiberglass was rough under his fingers.

"You look pale…"

Mac tried to pull himself a little higher and grunted as his leg protested loudly. He didn't want to sound like a whiney brat, but felt that he failed when he answered. "Leg is acting up…"

"And you've taken your medicine?"

Mac nodded, letting his head loll back. "Yeah… The leg is just cramping up on me…"

Bozer studied the way Mac's face was pulled in a light frown. The way he was white-knuckling the armrests. Bozer felt a stab of pity for his friend, he knew Mac wasn't one to bitch about small stuff when it came to pain. This alpine injury had obviously messed Mac's leg up bad.

"Want me to bring you something?" Bozer asked, "Coffee? Sandwich? Cereal?"

Mac shook his head.

"Want me to fire up the grill, call that coworker of yours, Jack… Have a little barbecue party?"

"I really don't think I'm up for a party…" Mac looked down at his leg. "I'm barely up for sitting up…"

"Yeah, but I'm not talking a big party, like wo-hoo party… I'm talking about friends spending an easy evening together, eating good food."

"Bozer… I'm tired, but I can't sleep…"

"Well, that's because it's four o'clock in the afternoon…" Bozer reasoned, "It is hours until you're supposed to sleep."

"That might have been true if I hadn't been kept awake by this stupid ass leg all night…"

"How bad was the break really?" Bozer questioned, "Because I've seen you have some sick injuries, you klutzy kid… You've never acted like this though…"

"It was pretty bad…" Mac shuddered at the thought, "And messy…"

"Okay, you mentioned messy, I don't wanna know anymore…" Bozer held up his hand to signal for Mac to stop.

Mac nodded. "Okay, I'm not gonna go into detail then…"

"Good…" Bozer clapped his hands together, "Now, about that barbecue. Want me to call Jack and throw something on the grill?"

Mac shrugged, "Sure, but I can't promise that I'll be good company…"

"That's alright… I get that you're tired and all, but I think a little visit could be good for you…"

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*A few hours later*

"Man, this steak is really good!" Jack sighed, smiling from ear to ear. "And I'm from Texas, so I should know!"

"You know what, Mac? I like this guy, we should keep him around!" Bozer pointed to Jack with his fork.

"Do that!" Jack grinned wide, "Just feed me from time to time, and I'll keep coming around!"

Mac had barely touched his steak, right now he was just sitting there and poking the meat on his plate.

"Ain't you gonna eat that, kid?"

"I'm not really hungry…" Mac sighed and sat his plate away.

"Is that leg of yours hurting bad?" Concerned brown eyes drilled into Mac's blue ones.

Mac nodded as he tried to reposition his casted leg.

"How bad?"

"More than I prefer…" Mac.

"Do you need someone to take a look at it?"

Mac shook his head, "No, it's not alarmingly painful. Just too much for my liking…"

"Okay, that's good, I guess…" Jack looked at the area of Mac's thigh where they both knew a large gaping hole had been. "You make sure to tell me if that changes, right?"

"Sure…" Mac answered without truly committing.

"Okay, but if you're not up to eating, you should at least drink something…" Jack almost demanded, "We are in the sunny south of California… Make sure you don't get yourself de-hydrated… Happens about as easily here as in the deserts of Africa and the Middle-East…"

Mac raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"You've got water bottles in the fridge, right?" he asked and pushed himself up.

Bozer nodded.

"And how long is it since you took something for the pain?"

"Little over five hours…"

"Okay, time for two more pills then…" Jack commanded, "Pills are in the bathroom, right?"

"Yeah, Jack…"

"Okay, just sit right there, and I'll get it for you." Jack ordered as he headed indoors. "You look like you're hitting a nine on the pain scale…"

"Actually, more like a strong five…" Mac shot back.

"Well, whatever… You're taking your pills, and you're drinking some water. And if you're able to, you eat something too…"

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Bozer really liked Jack. He seemed like a great father figure for Mac, even though he might have come around a few years later than what his friend could have needed. But Mac had turned out okay, and if Jack could be around and keep Mac safe from himself and his crazy experiments. That would be great!

Bozer felt like this was the beginning of a deep and powerful friendship. All three of them.

He couldn't wait to get to know the older man better. It had only been a few months since Mac came home, mentioning this new dude he was working with. Jack had visited a couple of time, and then he had been over at Mac's welcome home party…  
Yeah, Bozer hoped that this could be a great friendship.

 **Hope you had fun.**


End file.
